The Connection

For festive fun for the whole family, the City of Fairfax is the place to be. It is kicking off the holiday season, the next two weekends, with a sleigh-full of activities to spark the Christmas spirit in people of all ages.

It all begins Saturday, Dec. 5, with the Festival of Lights and Carols. There will be tasty treats, holiday music, visits with Santa and the lighting of the City’s official Christmas tree. And sponsoring the whole shebang is the Department of Parks and Recreation.

From 8-11 a.m., the firefighters of Station 3 at 4081 University Drive will hold a pancake breakfast with Santa. Cost is $5, adults; $3, children 3-12; free, ages 3 and under. Proceeds benefit the Fairfax Volunteer Fire Department.

Or if they prefer, children ages 10 and under may have lunch with Santa at Old Town Hall, 3999 University Drive. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $6/child (limit of 10 tickets per person) and are available at the Parks and Recreation office at City Hall, 10455 Armstrong St.; the Green Acres Center, 4401 Sideburn Road; the Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Old Lee Highway or online at www.fairfaxva.gov. (Parents do not need tickets).

Then from noon-7 p.m., Old Town Square, at the corner of University Drive and North Street, will offer s’mores and cider, a petting zoo, a slide and a variety of Christmas carols. The entertainment lineup is as follows: Noon, the Daniels Run Singers from Daniels Run Elementary; 1 p.m., Fairfax Choral Society Youth Choruses; 1:30 p.m., Girl Scouts Service Troop Unit 55-6; 2:00 p.m., Vienna Falls Chorus; 4 p.m., Mason Some Noise; and 5:30 p.m., the Fairfax Jubil-Aires.

Meanwhile, from 3-5 p.m., parents may take their own photos of their children with Santa in Old Town Hall while the Lanier Middle School Chamber Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Chorus perform.

Then people will gather in Old Town Square at 5:30 p.m. for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. But that is not all. From 6-7 p.m., attendees may enjoy a candlelit tour of the historic Ratcliffe-Allison House at 10386 Main St.

After that, the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts will sponsor the seventh annual Christmas concert, “A Celtic Christmas with Síor-Óg,” at Old Town Hall. Tickets are adults, $10; children 12 and under, free. For more information, go to www.fairfaxarts.org.

And the City of Fairfax will continue to be a winter wonderland throughout the holiday season. Both the Old Town Square grounds and the Sherwood Center will come alive with animated light displays through Jan. 3, 2016, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority and Bull Run Festival of Lights. For further information on the Dec. 5 events, call 703-385-7858 or go to www.fairfaxva.gov.

Christmas in Camp

• On Sunday, Dec. 6, from noon-4 p.m., visitors may travel back in time to see a Christmas in Camp. It will be at Historic Blenheim and The Civil War Interpretive Center, 3610 Old Lee Highway. For more information, call 703-591-0560.

Also that day will be a holiday concert of seasonal favorites by the Main Street Community Band. Called “Home for the Holidays,” it is slated for 4-5:30 p.m. at Lanier Middle School, 3801 Jermantown Road. There will be music for the whole family, and attendees are encouraged to help brighten others’ holidays by bringing with them a nonperishable food item. All donations will be given to a local food bank to help feed Northern Virginia families in need.

Tickets are free, but people should reserve them early since this popular event usually attracts a capacity crowd. Ticket requests should be addressed and mailed to The MSCB Holiday Concert Tickets, P.O. Box 1306, Fairfax, VA 22038-1306. Please include a stamped, self-addressed return envelope.

Two Concerts

*On Friday, Dec. 11, will be the Old Town Hall Performance Series featuring

Cathedral Brass offering “Holiday Traditions.” The free concert begins at 8 p.m. at Old Town Hall. For more information, call 703-352-ARTS.

And on Sunday, Dec. 13, the Northern Virginia Youth Winds will give a free concert at Woodson High, 9525 Main St. With its members selected by competitive audition, the NVYW Symphonic and Junior Winds are elite, wind bands representing talented musicians from school music programs throughout Northern Virginia.